Checkatrade review for tradespeople: is it worth it?

Checkatrade is the best-known "find a trade" directory in the UK, and for many trades it is the biggest marketing bill they pay. We read its current terms, its own pricing articles, Trustpilot and the trade press on 12 October 2026 to work out what it really costs and who it suits.

Is Checkatrade worth it? Our verdict in brief

The strengths are real: strong brand recognition with homeowners, vetting that customers trust, and a £1,000 customer guarantee that helps you close jobs. The weaknesses are mostly about the contract: prices are not published, leads are not guaranteed, and the cancellation rules are strict.

How does Checkatrade work for tradespeople?

You apply, pass vetting, build a profile and then pay for visibility and leads. Homeowners search by trade and postcode, read your reviews and contact you through Checkatrade.

Vetting

Checkatrade describes a 12-point vetting process. Its sign-up page asks for an ID, address and documentation check before leads are unlocked. In its own figures (updated July 2024), 668 applicants failed sign-up checks between 1 December 2023 and 31 May 2024, a 13% rise on the year before. Expect to supply insurance details and proof of identity, and allow time for checks before your first lead.

What counts as a lead

This matters more than anything else in the contract. Checkatrade's Fixed Plan terms define leads as "contacts that Checkatrade delivers to You in any format", including calls, messages, quote requests and clicks through to your website. So a lead is not the same as a qualified job enquiry. A click to your website counts.

How many leads you get

The terms say lead numbers depend on your review count, locations, profile quality, seasonality and demand. Checkatrade gives you an estimate, but the terms state it "is not binding". New members with few reviews should expect fewer leads than an established profile in the same area.

The three ways to pay

• Basic (Approved) membership: a vetted profile, but Checkatrade's own blog says you will not appear in Checkatrade search results and you get no sales leads.
• Fixed Plan: a monthly fee for an estimated volume of leads in your chosen category and area, invoiced monthly in advance.
• Pay as you go (PAYG): no fixed fee. You set a monthly budget and pay a fee per lead, invoiced monthly in arrears.

Checkatrade also sells job management software for trades, TradeMore. That is a separate product: see our Checkatrade TradeMore review for how it compares with Tradify and ServiceM8.

How much does Checkatrade cost? (sourced)

Checkatrade does not publish a full price list. Its sign-up page sends you to a "View our prices" link that redirected to the members' app when we checked on 12 October 2026. Here is everything we could confirm, with the source for each line.

On VAT, Checkatrade's December 2024 article gives the basic price as "£30 + VAT" but also says VAT is included in the monthly amount. Those two statements conflict, so confirm the VAT position on your written quote.

What tradespeople report paying

Because lead plan prices are not published, the best evidence is third-party reporting. Treat these as estimates, not price lists:

• Whito, Checkatrade cost UK (checked 28 July 2026): a "Growth" plan "from £59 a month", and member-reported typical all-in spend of £100 to £300 a month for active members.
• Whito, trades lead generation cost UK (June 2026): membership "commonly from around £600 into the low thousands a year".
• Electrical Times (15 November 2024): reported anger at rising fees, citing "ad hoc comments suggesting price hikes of 36 per cent". Checkatrade said the changes reflected better postcode-level lead coverage and wider economic factors.

The PAYG deposit and cap

Under the PAYG terms (updated 20 February 2026), your monthly budget is a target, not a hard limit. You can be charged up to 120% of it in a month. Checkatrade may also ask for a deposit of up to twice your monthly budget, which it returns when the agreement ends. On a £300 budget, that means up to £360 in a busy month and a deposit of up to £600.

Contract terms to read before you sign

Introductory offers are common. For example, sign-ups between 1 and 30 June 2026 got between 25% off the first four months and 100% off the first two months, depending on trade, on 12-month Fixed Plans. The discount applies to the price before VAT, so look at what you will pay from month three onwards.

Worked example: how many jobs do you need to break even?

Take the middle of Whito's member-reported range: £200 a month, or £2,400 a year before VAT. If your average job leaves you £400 profit after materials and your own time, you need six won jobs a year just to cover the membership. If you convert one lead in five into a job, you need around 30 decent leads a year. A plumber averaging £150 profit per job would need 16 wins a year for the same fee. Do this sum with your own numbers before you sign.

Checkatrade pros and cons

What do tradespeople say about Checkatrade?

Separate the two audiences. Most Checkatrade reviews come from homeowners rating the service, not from tradespeople rating the membership.

• Trustpilot (Checkatrade): 4.7 out of 5 from 88,109 reviews, checked 12 Oct 2026. The star split was 85% five-star and 6% one-star. Trustpilot's own review summary noted that a few reviewers felt members "failed to deliver the exact number of leads promised for the monthly fees".
• Trade press: Electrical Times (15 November 2024) reported members saying they were "getting a very poor service for this significant investment", alongside Checkatrade's response.
• Member reports collected by Whito (July 2026): annual spend moving from about £870 towards £1,500 after a 2025 restructure. These are member reports, not Checkatrade figures.

The pattern is consistent: homeowners like Checkatrade, and the members who are happy tend to be the ones with lots of reviews in busy areas. Complaints focus on lead volume, lead quality and price rises at renewal.

What are the alternatives to Checkatrade?

• MyBuilder suits newer businesses: free to join, and you pay only when a customer shortlists you. Read our MyBuilder review.
• Bark covers many service categories beyond trades and charges in credits per lead. Read our Bark review before buying a credit pack.
• Your own reviews and website: Google Business Profile reviews and repeat customers cost nothing per lead. Many established trades use Checkatrade to grow, then lean on referrals.

Getting the most from paid leads

Whichever platform you choose, the money is made or lost after the lead arrives: how fast you reply, how quickly you send a clear quote and whether you follow up. A job management app with quote reminders and a customer record stops paid leads going cold. See our guide to CRM for trades for the apps that track enquiries and chase quotes automatically.